The
Basics Everyone has been there. The sinking dread as your instructor mutters those awful words…
“you don’t need sticks today, its a riding lesson” Yet, the lessons learnt here are perhaps the most important of any you will learn in polo. So many beginners focus far too much on the swing and game play in their early lessons, and as a result their lack of riding ability comes back to bite them further down there line.
The single most common issue that beginners face is forgetting to rise into their half seats to take their shots. Far too often we see people cantering around, sat deep in the saddle and swinging unsuccessfully for the ball from there. Convincing new players to use this half seat is incredibly difficult, especially with non riders as they feel unstable and vulnerable in this position. Furthermore, even experienced riders often struggle and forget all they have learnt when they make the transition to canter, due to the relative lack of standing in canter in more conventional equine disciplines.
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